Articles from Parking Today

Last year MGM Resorts International introduced paid frictionless parking to its Las Vegas resorts, changing the face of parking along the Las Vegas Strip. The program has been successful, providing a much better parker experience, improving parking management, and generating revenues for the improvement of existing parking facilities and the development of new garages. The program’s success has inspired most of the other resorts along the strip to follow suit.

The frictionless parking program, which was developed by Sentry Control Systems in partnership with 20/20 Parking Consultants and INDECT USA, was the largest parking technology installation ever undertaken by a private company, and it permits the management of 60,000 spaces along the Strip. The program’s signature technology is a SKIDATA parking access and revenue control system featuring the world’s most advanced PARCS equipment. The technology is installed in each of MGM’s properties, and for the first time, it permits each property to regulate where people park. With separate parking areas for visitors and employees, visitors no longer have to worry about having difficulty finding parking because valuable spaces are being occupied by resort employees.

The equipment features ground-breaking technology, including state-of-the-art bar code readers, RFID technology, and mag strip readers. The technology can read hotel room keys, employee badges, state-issued drivers licenses, military IDs, and tickets to special events to admit vehicles and direct drivers to appropriate parking areas. The readers can also recognize the company’s proprietary Loyalty program cards to admit members for free parking. Parking privileges extend to other resorts within the city as well, permitting guests to visit other properties without having to worry about paying for parking.

Upon entering a garage at an MGM property, license plate recognition (LPR) equipment records the driver’s vehicle information, associating that vehicle with the driver’s credential. When the driver is ready to leave the garage the LPR system recognizes the vehicle license plate, and if the parking fee is satisfied the gate will open for the customer to exit. The entire transaction can happen without forcing the driver to stop at an exit gate, providing a truly frictionless parking experience.

This $90 million parking technology program provides extraordinary customer service benefits to visitors and special event attendees. It makes it easier for parkers to access safe and convenient parking, and it provides access to a host of special benefits and marketing opportunities. It is also generating new revenues, which MGM is using to upgrade parking facilities and develop a new $54 million garage to make the parking experience even more pleasant.

Wednesday March 28 at the Parking Industry Exhibition brings Dana Wade, Director of Business Development, Sentry Control Systems, Bruce Barclay, VP Parking Services, MGM International and Jimmy Maglothin, P.E., PMP, President, 20/20 Parking Consultants, LLC together to explore the thinking behind this program and how it came about.

Dana Wade is Director of Business Development, Sentry Control Systems in Las Vegas. He can be reached at dwade@sentrycontrol.com